MARKET VS MARKET

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The souk is the heart and soul of any Moroccan city. The Djemaa el-Fna square is a large square that plays host to traders, market sellers, jugglers and musicians. The best time to visit during our stay was at night as the fast that the people of the city had been under was broken and the magic of the city was restored. Stall after stall with little slanted roofs and animated vendors boasted Moroccan cuisine: black olives and bread, deep fried pastries, local meat grilled on a cheap charcoal barbecue and boxes of sweets that tasted unusually good. The aroma was splendid and we could see plumes of smoke from the cooking pots rise and dance like the snakes that were swaying to the man’s flute on the other side of the souk. The stalls sold wonderful and weird; a man even tried to sell me a hedgehog – cute but I really wasn’t sure how I would get it in my luggage or pass through customs if I did choose to buy it. Little monkeys with red felt caps sat on men’s shoulders and whenever we walked past, they asked me if I would want a picture with it. In total honesty, I was terrified of the monkeys – because they weren’t WWF advert kinds of monkey that instantly make you go “aww” as I had wrongly assumed all descendants of the ape family were – they were rabid ones (or so I thought) that frothed at the mouth. I shrieked when it came closer to me (incredibly smooth, I know) and my brother, being the supportive and loving person that he is, would not stop laughing at me. We bought a metal lamp that had been designed perfectly and looked stunning when we placed tea lights inside it. At home, it now shares a place on my window sill next to the three Buddha statues from Sri Lanka. It was lively, vivid and we visited twice because we enjoyed the atmosphere so much – a must-see place in Marrakech.



If the pressure of the vendors in the Djemaa el-fna is too much and you much prefer browsing on your own without any input from anyone else, then the Government run Ensemble Artisanal is likely to be your cup of mint tea. We visited the Ensemble Artisanal mainly because I was begging my parents to buy me a Moroccan-style top and I had refused other items like postcards and leather belts which they had suggested as suitable souvenirs. The atmosphere wasn’t as lively as the souk we had visited the night before and there wasn’t as much variety when it came to products (shirts, shoes and items made out of leather seemed to be the main attraction for tourists – no animals sadly), but it was calm (hassle-free!) and I could happily browse through the beautiful array of handmade Moroccan crafts without any interruption. One thing worth saying may be that the prices are fixed and tourists are not expected to haggle and barter for cheaper prices, which was fine by me because I was nearly losing my voice and the idea of discussing and negotiating was unappealing. The shops are more - well, shop-like with little kiosks, Arabic writings on the wall and shelf after shelf of various products. Possibly one of the most interesting things was watching the master artisans at work, and we watched in admiration as they expertly and quickly amended the clothes we desired, ensuring they fit me perfectly. I was satisfied that the artisans were directly benefiting from the sales they made; it annoyed me when vendors received profit for items that took a lot of hard work and care. I did buy a beautiful royal blue shirt in the end with spiral embroidery around the hems much to the grumbling of my dad who said that it would end up hanging up in my wardrobe like the other lonely clothes that I no longer wish to wear – it did not end up there, I would just like to mention!

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Comments

[Kay Kay]

Well done :)
That was a really good first post! You are getting used to writing for a blog - it's different to essay writing, don't you find? After a few more posts you will start to find a style that works for you - my blog posts didn't ever have a high verbal IQ, but yours is a mix :) If you want constructive criticism, maybe try to stick to formal language, as that is what I associate with travel writing, but with a few jokes? TTYL, kk xxx

[TheLittleOne]

Thankyou very much for your advice :)